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Eastern Conference

5 undefeated teams remain as we head into week 4 of the NFL season. I went 9-7 a week ago, bringing my season total to 26-22.

Bye Week: Philadelphia and Green Bay

Thursday Night Football

Dolphins @ Bengals: Miami barely squeaked by the Browns last week, while the Bengals were beat down by the defending champs at home. The Dolphins got a big day from Jarvis Landry, but inconsistency continues to plague Ryan Tannehill, who threw a pick six in the win. Cincinnati got their running game going, but still lost to 1-2 for the first time in five years. After two very good weeks, Andy Dalton couldn’t do much against the Broncos defense. I like the Bengals at home with another good rushing game to get their second win of the season. CINCINNATI WINS

Sunday Morning Football

Colts @ Jaguars: London here they come! Indianapolis got their first win of the season last week, while Jacksonville is still looking for theirs. Andrew Luck has the uncanny ability to turn a bad day into a big day passing the ball, but the Jaguars defense isn’t the problem so far, so he’ll need help. Blake Bortles on the other hand, has been pretty awful for Jacksonville in his third year under center. So what happens this weekend across the pond? Give me a cleaner day from Luck to lift the Colts. INDIANAPOLIS WINS

Sunday 1PM Games

Bills @ Patriots: Three different quarterbacks have started for New England, but that hasn’t stopped the winning. And as for the Bills, they got their first win over a team many think, myself included, are a playoff team destined for a deep run. Both teams got big two-touchdown games out of their number 1 running backs, so look for another day of running the clock. The Patriots have to get through one more week without Tom Brady, and while they’ve done a great job doing so, and are very, very good at home, I’m taking the road team in this one. BUFFALO WINS

Titans @ Texans: It was a very bad week for Houston, who not only lost their Thursday game versus New England 27-0, they learned that JJ Watt re-injured his back and will be out the rest of the year. Tennessee’s week wasn’t much better, as they scored just 10 points in their loss to Oakland. Both teams enter action having scored the same amount of points through 3 games, but of course that’s skewed with the Texans O-fer last weekend. Marcus Mariota and Brock Osweiler have both thrown 4 interceptions so far this season, so whoever can limit mistakes has the edge. A Titans win puts them in a tie for the division early. But I don’t think they get it, because I like the Texans skill position players better. HOUSTON WINS

Lions @ Bears: The Lions are 1-2, but haven’t struggled in the passing game, as Matthew Stafford has found a new weapon in Marvin Jones after Calvin Johnson called it a career in the off-season. The silver lining there for the 0-3 Bears is that their defense has actually done okay against the pass so far this season. Chicago got a pretty good game out of Brandon Hoyer, who finished 30-49 for 317 yards, though most of that came with the game out of hand already. Both teams have the ability to get the points in the air, and with two middling defenses, that shouldn’t be a problem. So this game will be won in the trenches, and the edge there lies with the Lions. DETROIT WINS

Panthers @ Falcons: Carolina is another team I thought would have a great season, but has disappointed so far. Thanks to the struggles of the Panthers and the rest of the NFC South, Atlanta finds themself atop the division early on in the season. This dispite allowing 31, 28 and 32 points in their first three games. The Falcons may not be getting sustained success in their ground game early, they are getting it when it counts. Tevin Coleman has just 110 yards on the ground, but has 4 rushing touchdowns, including 3 on Sunday in New Orleans. Carolina entered action red-hot at home dating back to 2014, but we shut down by a red-hot Vikings defense a week ago. I still believe in the Panthers defense, and as hot as Atlanta has been, I think Carolina gets the win on the road.CAROLINA WINS

Seahawks @ Jets: The good news for Jets fans? Ryan Fitzpatrick can only be better than he was a week ago. The bad news? He has to be a lot better against the top defense in the league. After scoring just 3 points against L.A. in week 2, the Seahawks exercised some demons putting up 37 against the Niners. Russell Wilson was hobbled in the game, but still managed to leave with a nice lead. Big games from Christine Michael and Doug Baldwin helped get the offense back on track. New York can solace in the fact that they have had a pretty good run game all season, and while some of it came in garbage time, Seattle did allow the Niners to get over 130 yards on the ground, finding pay dirt twice. This shouldnt be as ugly for the Jets as it was last week, but it will still be a loss. SEATTLE WINS

Raiders @ Ravens: Baltimore finds itself among the undefeated teams heading into week 4, in large part thanks to their defense and a good day from kicker Justin Tucker. The Ravens are second in total defense through 3 weeks of play. Their opponents won their 2nd game by forcing three turnovers, with a sack after entering week 3 having allowed the Saints and Falcons to walk all over them. So based on defenses, Baltimore should have an easy win. But I actually like Oakland’s offense a lot more, and as someone who thinks this is a playoff team, I’ll take the Raiders in the upset. OAKLAND WINS

Browns @ Redskins: Cleveland should’ve gotten their first win of the season in Miami a week ago, but an inability to stop the air attack, and three missed field goals left them at 0-3. They gave themselves a shot, but couldn’t take it. Cody Kessler’s first career start wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t very good for Cleveland, though at this point, coming out healthy is huge for the Browns. Washington did get their first win, taking down the Giants on the road. After a couple lackluster offensive weeks, Kirk Cousins let it loose and got a number of big plays in the passing game to help get that first win and move back in the right direction to defend their NFC East title. So can the Browns get their first win this week? Yes. Will they? I don’t think so. They stayed in last week thanks to mistakes by Tannehill, but Cousins won’t make those same mistakes. WASHINGTON WINS

Sunday 4/425PM Games

Broncos @ Buccaneers: The Superbowl Champs are showing no signs of slowing down as they look to start the season 4-0. Denver got off to a slow start last week against the Bengals, but came on strong late thanks to a big day from rookie quarterback Trevor Siemian. Siemian threw four touchdown passes, including two in the fourth quarter for the win. Not to be outdone, the Broncos are a top flight defense that held down Andy Dalton and their rushing attack. They’ve got another tough test when they take on Jameis Winston this weekend. The Bucs 2nd year quarterback is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes so far with 8, though he has thrown six picks to. It won’t be a blowout, none of Denver’s games really have been, but it will be another win for the Broncos. DENVER WINS

Rams @ Cardinals: I’m shocked at the start the Cardinals are having at just 1-2. Carson Palmer has had a bad TD-turnover ratio through 3 weeks. Arizona isn’t getting quite out of David Johnson on the ground, while their defense is allowing the 5th most rushing yards per game. This is as good a week as any to get back to what they want to do in all phases as they take on their division rival Rams, who find themselves tied atop the division at 2-1. Los Angeles has rebounded nicely from a shutout on opening day, winning their last two games. The Rams tend to play up or down to their opponents, evident by a 9-3 home win over Seattle and a 37-32 shootout on the road in Tampa Bay. Going off those results, I’ll take the Cardinals at home in what should be a close game throughout between these two West foes. ARIZONA WINS

Cowboys @ Niners: Dallas couldn’t have asked for more from rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot through three weeks. The Tony Romo-less Cowboys were a game-winning field-goal away from being 3-0 right now. Dez Bryant has a hairline fracture in his knee but is still expected to play this weekend. San Francisco was manhandled in week 3, and still isn’t making a change back to Colin Kaepernick. The biggest thing the Niners have going for them is Carlos Hyde has looked pretty good. I like what the Caowboys have done this season, but I have a feeling about San Fran this week. It might be a bad feeling, but I’m rolling with it.SAN FRANCISCO WINS

Saints @ Chargers: It’s still early, but the Saints need to start picking up some wins quickly if they want to make the playoffs as I predicted they would as a wildcard team in the NFC. The offense hasn’t been the problem. Drew Brees is already over a 1,000 yards passing, with an 8-1 touchdown to interception ratio, though that one interception last week was a fourth quarter pick six for Brees. New Orleans defense hasn’t been been able to stop anyone, as they’ve allowed the 2nd most total yards. Worst at stopping the run, that’s where the Chargers will need to take advantage this week. But without Danny Woodhead, San Diego needs Melvin Gordon to get going, so this is the perfect opportunity for that. I like Philip Rivers, but I like Drew Brees more. Give me the road team to get win number 1 this week. NEW ORLEANS WINS

Sunday Night Football

Chiefs @ Steelers: What a defensive performance put on by the Chiefs this past week! Two defensive touchdowns and six interceptions helped Kansas City get the easy win over the Jets. The offense wasn’t great, but they didn’t need to be with that showing on defense. Alex Smith continued to show his game management skills, and why Travis Kelce is one of the better tight ends in the league right now. They’ve got a desperate Steelers team thsi week, who didn’t score a touchdown in a week 3 beatdown by the Eagles. After two very good weeks, DeAngelo Williams was stymied on the ground, so the rushing attack will gladly welcome back Le’Veon Bell from suspension this week. The biggest test for the Kansas City defense will be stopping Antonio Brown, but I don’t think it will matter much even if he does have a big day. KANSAS CITY WINS

Monday Night Football

Giants @ Vikings: This should be a battle of two unbeatens, but a late game collapse left the Giants at 2-1 heading into today. Too many penalties, a couple late turnovers and allowing Washington to open up the field multiple times led to the home loss for New York. They lost Shane Vereen to a triceps injury as well. Eli Manning and company need to do more in the passing game, and they have the capability with three wide receivers. The bad news for New York is that the Vikings are running on all cylinders right now. Their defense has been relentless through three weeks, and despite losing starting QB Teddy Bridgewater before the season started, the offense has been very good. Sam Bradford has come in and fit in better in two weeks then he’s done in the first few seasons of his career. It’s going to be tough for the Giants on the road, but I like New York will figure things out and get back in the win column. NEW YORK WINS

We’ve reached week 3 of the season, and still have 8 undefeated and 8 winless teams. There have also been a lot of big injuries early that will have a big impact on week 3 and beyond. As for my picks, I’m 18-14 through 2 weeks. Here’s what I’m thinking going into week 3.

Thursday Night Football

Texans @ Patriots: Jimmy Garoppolo left with a shoulder injury for New England, who still managed to move to 2-0. This was thanks in large part to Garoppolo’s 3 touchdown passes before his injury as well as a big performance from LeGarrett Blount in the run game. The Texans took down the Chiefs on the strength of their defense to move to 1-1, a stark difference from their 33-0 loss to Kansas City in the playoffs. Without Garoppolo, I think the Texans will do enough to get another win to start off the week 3 action. HOUSTON WINS

Sunday 1pm Games

Ravens @ Jaguars: Baltimore got very lucky in week 2, as they overcame a 20-0 1st quarter deficit to improve to 2-0. Cleveland never scored again, while Joe Flacco brought his team back with a 25-45, 302 yard performance. Their opponents have been disappointing to me so far. While I didn’t think the Jaguars were going to make the playoffs this season, I thought they’d be better than they’ve shown, starting 0-2 again after They crossed midfield only six times and committed three turnovers. BALTIMORE WINS

Lions @ Packers: Both teams enter 1-1 after losing in week 2, and are looking to keep pace with the 2-0 Vikings. The Packers lost their game in the 4th quarter, turning the ball over twice, while allowing Rodgers to be sacked 5 times. Detroit also lost their game in the 4th quarter when they were outscored 13-0 by the Titans, including a 93-yard game winning drive. The Lions didn’t have a go to back in week 2, losing Ameer Abdullah to an injury. So who gets back in the win column this week? I’ll take the Packers at home with a much-needed big day from Eddie Lacy. GREEN BAY WINS

Redskins @ Giants: Washington won the NFC East a year ago, but have opened up this season 0-2. Struggles in the red zone and an inability to force turnovers meant a loss in a back-and-forth affair with Dallas last week. New York’s offense moved up and down the field pretty easily on Sunday, but also struggled in the redzone, and had too many turnovers in the 1st half. But the defense and special teams stepped up and they moved to 2-0. So who takes this division matchup? Give me the home team to get over their redzone struggles and take advantage of Eli Manning’s league leading completion percentage, which should be even better as the Giants receiving core dropped at least 5 balls in week 2. NEW YORK WINS

Browns @ Dolphins: For the 5th week in a row (dating back to last season), Cleveland will be starting a different QB. Someone should tell them this isn’t baseball, there’s no starting rotation in football. Even with the QB carousel, the Browns almost, and should have, pulled out their first win in week 2. They were up 20-2 on the Ravens, thanks in big part to their ground attack, but fell late. Miami isn’t in any better a position than their week 3 opponents, as they enter action at 0-2 as well. The Dolphins were down big early to the Pats, but made a comeback after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury. Cleveland will be in this game until the end because Miami has had issues stopping the run early. But even of Isaiah Crowell goes big on the ground, I still think they pull out the win at home. MIAMI WINS

Vikings @ Panthers: Minnesota will now be without their starting QB and running back for the rest of the season after Adrian Peterson went down in their game on Sunday night. The Vikings defense looked stong against Aaron Rogers in week 2. As for Carolina, they rebounded offensively in week 2, but they still struggled a bit on defense, allowing the Niners to score 27. They’ll be without their running back Jonathan Stewart, but were picked up by Fozzy Whittaker on the ground. Despite the 27 points allowed, I like the Panthers chances of stopping Sam Bradford and the new Vikings weapon and league receiving yards leader Stefon Diggs. CAROLINA WINS

Broncos @ Bengals: Andy Dalton has gotten off to a nice start this season, leading the league with 732 passing yards, so here’s a good test for the Broncos league leading defense. CJ Anderson is having a good start to the season, and we’ve seen the Bengals give up the most rushing yards per game to start the season, so he should be able to help eat a lot of clock for Denver. DENVER WINS

Cardinals @ Bills: Arizona rebounded from a tough week 1 loss by handily beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cardinals led the league in total offense, while the Bills dropped to 0-2 despite putting up 31 points of their own in week 2. Buffalo has let their offensive coordinator go, so they really need this game. Too bad I don’t think they’ll get it. Look for a big game from running back Daniel Johnson. ARIZONA WINS

Raiders @ Titans: Oakland has not been able to stop anyone through two weeks, something I wasn’t expecting, allowing 70 points so far. Tennessee has actually done a very nice job on defense. Both teams are 1-1 heading into this game, but I still like the Raiders better. The Titans offense hasn’t shown the big play ability the Raiders have, so Oakland should be able to hold them down better than they did with New Orleans and Atlanta. OAKLAND WINS

Sunday 4/425pm Games

Rams @ Buccaneers: LA’s defense showed up in week 2, Tampa’s did not. The difference between these two teams is the offense. While the Bucs went from scoring 4 TDs to 1, I feel more confident about their offense than the Rams, who have scored just 9 points in two games. The best chance the Rams have is if their defense can do what it did a week ago, and good game out of Todd Gurley. That being said, I’ll take the home team in this one. TAMPA BAY WINS

49ers @ Seahawks: This is a big (albeit early) NFC West battle between two 1-1 teams. San Francisco followed up a surprise week 1 win with a defensive breakdown against Carolina. Seattle had one of their worst offensive games in this recent stretch of Superbowl quality teams, scoring just a field goal against the L.A. Rams. I can’t see the Seahawks being held down again, especially by the Niners. Russell Wilson should be able to dominate in this one. SEATTLE WINS

Steelers @ Eagles: I never thought this would be a game where both teams have a chance to move to 3-0, but here we are. DeAngelo Williams has been huge for Pittsbrgh in the abscense of Le’Veon Bell, who is out one more week due to suspension. Philadelphia has gotten about as good as you can ever hope to from a rookie quarterback in Carson Wentz, who hasn’t turned the ball over yet. It should be a good game, but I will go with the experience in this one.PITTSBURGH WINS

Jets @ Chiefs: Two teams I picked to make the playoffs in the AFC face off in Kansas City this weekend. New York picked up their first win last week, thanks to the offense. Off-season acquisition Matt Forte finished with 100 yards rushing, and three rushing touchdowns. Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall both finished with 100 receiving yards as well. The Jets defense wasn’t as impressive as it was week 1. The Chiefs hope that’s the case again this week, as they couldn’t get much of anything started against Houston. A lot went right for New York last week, and I can’t see them doing quite that well against Kansas City’s defense as they did against Buffalo. If this were a home game for the Jets I might choose differently, but it’s a home game for the Chiefs, so I’ll go with them this week. KANSAS CITY WINS

Chargers @ Colts: San Diego is 2-0, Indianapolis is 0-2. I really thought that the Colts would be able to do better than they have on defense, but they haven’t. San Diego has looked very good on offense to start this season, Indy has been very up and down. INDIANAPOLIS WINS

Sunday Night Football

Bears @ Cowboys: Chicago is 0-2 despite holding early leads in both week 1 and week 2. And now they’ll be without starting quarterback Jay Cutler due to a thumb injury. Their best hope to beat the Cowboys is to continue limiting the passing game, as the Bears rank 4th in the NFL allowing 224 yards a game. As for Dallas, they picked up their first win thanks to another clean day from Dak Prescott and a big night on the ground. The Boys were already a better team than the Bears before the Cutler injury, so give me Dallas at home to move to 2-1. DALLAS WINS

Monday Night Football

Falcons @ Saints: Atlanta picked up their first win against an impressive Raiders team in week 2, while New Orleans dropped to 0-2 after a game winning field goal by the Giants. Atlanta hasn’t had any problems scoring this season, but their defense has struggled at times. New Orleans’ defense was much better in week 2, forcing 3 turnovers, but it wasn’t enough. I picked the Saints to make the playoffs, so this is a huge game for them. If they want to get their first win, they have to figure out how to run the ball. The Falcons tend to be very inconsistent, so give me New Orleans at home in a shootout. NEW ORLEANS WINS

After a fun first two rounds of the playoffs and here are, down to 4 teams. Out West you’ve for last years runner-up San Antonio Spurs, and MVP Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder. And of course in the East you have a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. The top-seeded Indiana Pacers, and the 2-time reigning World Champion Miami heat. After a 5 1st round series going 7, the top 2 seeds in each conference have advanced, show just how hard it is for low seeds to make it through all 3 rounds of the playoffs leading up til the finals.

So here’s what I see happening we march one step closer to determining this years champion.

Eastern Conference Finals

(2) Miami Heat vs (1) Indiana Pacers

It’s the match-up we all predicted back when they were the only two East teams over .500. It’s the rematch the Pacers worked so hard to ensure would happen with home-court advantage after losing game 7 in Miami a year ago. Despite a bad 2nd half to the season, and a strange post-season, Indiana is here. Miami had a fairly easy road here in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and you know they don’t care if they have to go into Indy and win. They did show some stretches that could be concerning in their match-up against the Brooklyn Nets, but showed they still know how to execute late game situations better than most teams. So what happens? The Pacers biggest advantage comes in the front-court, if and only if, Roy Hibbert plays closer to his 28 point performance, and not his 0 point playoff performance. But LeBron James is the biggest advantage of them all, and to that how well Ray Allen has looked, and how healthy Dwyane Wade has looked, I’m not sure home-court comes into play here. So give me the Heat in 6.

Western Conference Finals

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (1) San Antonio Spurs

In a super talented, hotly contested West, the top 2 seeds found a way to get it done and advance again. OKC’s defense has been spotty at times this postseason, but they’ve come up big when needed. The same can be said for San Antonio, though I think the Spurs look like the best team of the 4 left standing after shutting down the up-and-coming Portland Trailblazers squad. I’m most looking forward to the point-guard match-up in this one. Tony Parker has carried this team throughout the playoffs, and Russell Westbrook has been dominant offensively. It’ll be interesting to see which bench provides the most consistent spark. I picked the Thunder to win it all before the playoffs began, and I think OKC wins it in 7.

So that it, I think we’ve got a 2012 NBA Finals rematch on top, pitting the two best players on the planet and their deep teams against each other.

Remember when the Brooklyn Nets were 10-21 and coming off an ugly blowout to the San Antonio Spurs on the final day of 2013? Remember when they opened up 2014 with a Joe Johnson game-winner over the Oklahoma City Thunder the next day?

Sound familiar? It should. Except for a slightly better record to start things out last year, it’s the same thing that happened last season during the Nets inaugural season in Brooklyn. Two years in a row this team has turned things around after a blowout loss and a big win over the top teams in the Western Conference.

Last year Brooklyn finished the regular season at 49-33. They were never 11 games under last season, and yet only finished with 5 more losses than this year. Two different teams in may ways? Sure. But they do share similar regular season story-lines.

However, that is where the similarities end. Because what we thought would be a rematch of the Bulls-Nets series of a year ago, has turned into a 3-6 match-up between division foes. A rough end to the season for Brooklyn dropped them to the 6th seat and into a 1st round bout with the Toronto Raptors.

The two teams split the season series 2-2, and boy was their final match-up of the regular season exciting. Yours truly was there in person, and when I say it’s one of the best basketball games I’ve ever seen, I’m not exaggerating. Runs, big shot after big shot by both clubs ending in a Nets 101-9 win at Barclays Center.

Toronto wasn’t supposed to be here. Going into the season, thoughts were they’d tank the season and hope to get a top 3 pick in this years loaded draft, and maybe land Canadian star Andrew Wiggins. That was made, what we thought more evident when the Raptors traded away Rudy Gay early in the season. Yet here we are, getting ready to watch them host a first round match-up as Atlantic Division Champs. Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan pu this team on their athletic backs and drove them into the postseason.

Athletic. Young. And hungry. That’s the Toronto Raptors in a nutshell. And the Nets should be afraid. What couldve been a defensive battle has turned into an offensive slug-fest. Both teams have been crazy good in 2014, but as the Nets limp into the playoffs, the Raptors have continued their hot play. Inexperience up and down the lineup has to do battle with the veteran laden Nets squad.

For Brooklyn to have success, they have to limit turnovers. Toronto’s speed can turn those into easy buckets in transition. Not to mention Mason Plumlee, Kevin Garnett and (if he gets minutes), Andray Blatche have to do work down low. Without Brook Lopez, they’ve been limited as far as having a rim defender, and though he’s not a great rebounding big man, Lopez makes you work for 2nd chance opportunities. The Raptors front court of Jonas Valanciunas, Amir Johnson and Terrence Ross are quick, strong and not afraid to attack the paint.

But for me, the biggest match-up comes in the back court. Lowry and DeRozan are one of the better scoring back-courts in the league. Deron Williams has issues defending smaller, quicker guards, though Shaun Livingston’s presence will help.

So are the Nets better off in the 6th or would they have been better suited for that rematch with the Chicago Bulls? Only time will tell, but I think if both teams play to the high levels seen since January, you can bet it’s going to be a fun and intense series.

So what will be some of the keys heading into this series if the Nets want to avoid being knocked out by the Bulls in two consecutive seasons?

Kevin Garnett must be healthy. You don’t need 30 minutes from him with Mason Plumlee playing well, but KG’s still a great defensive player, and their only real rim defender. He also has a fire that burns even brighter in the playoffs. This is why he was brought over in the off-season. Since returning from the back spasms, he’s looked very good. Maybe the time off his legs will mean big performances coming up.

Deron Williams needs to be on every game. Remember when he carried this team to the playoffs last season? He’s shown flashes of that player this season, but needs to show it more than once or twice a week. Shaun Livingston has been remarkable this season, but Brooklyn only goes as far as D-Will and his max contract can take them.

Mirza Teletovic and/or Marcus Thornton need to be consistent sparks off the bench. The Bulls can defend with the best of them, but when these players get hot, it doesn’t matter who is on them. If they can come in, especially if the starters get off to a slow start, and hit a couple of 3s quickly, this team can possibly rattle a young Raptors squad.

Plumlee and Livingston need to limit the bad early fouls. They’re too important to be on the bench too quickly. The rookie is the energy of this front court, while Shaun is the same in the back. Starting alongside Williams means you’ve got your two best ball handlers on the court for a majority of the game, and while Alan Anderson and Joe Johnson can handle the rock, that’s not what you want too often. And as for Plumlee, this team isn’t deep at center, especially if you have to limit KG’s minutes.

Paul Pierce. Like KG, his postseason pedigree is a huge reason why he was traded for, and he’s shown he can still carry a team on his back. If he gets established early, look out.

And the biggest one? Rebounding. They’re a terrible rebounding team, but they still find ways to win. Brooklyn has to try to limit Noah and Boozer from killing them too badly on the boards. The Nets ability to force turnovers will have to help counter act this.

There’s no reason this version of the Brooklyn Nets shouldn’t make it out of the first round. The biggest problem last season was toughness. Chicago manhandled every person that took the court for Brooklyn. While this team is perceived as “old,” they’ve shown they’re not afraid of anyone. They’ve looked better overall this season in that department, and should get past their division foes. Falling back to 6 also means advancing on would mean a possible 2nd round date with the Miami Heat, who they were 4-0 against, as opposed to seeing Indiana, who they dropped all 4 against in the regular season.

So how far do you think the Nets go? Let your voice be heard and vote on the poll below.

Toronto wasn’t supposed to be here, they were thought to be rebuilding. Yet here they are, the 3 seed and Atlantic Division champs. And Washington hadn’t been over .500 since 2009-2010, and started off the season just as bad as Brooklyn did. And out west, the Clippers and Warriors hate each other. Both can run, both have deadly shooters who can get hot quickly. And don’t get me started on their point guards. But for second straight season, Golden State will be without their best post defender in Andrew Bogut, and I see the size of DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin and Glen Perkins just being too much for the Warriors to overcome. Memphis is hot coming in, but the Spurs aren’t going down in round one, and neither with OKC. Houston plays little defense, and Portland isn’t any better. Give me Dwight Howard, Chandler Parson and James Harden any day over LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Wes Matthews. Indy has been struggling, but the Hawks tried with all their might not to make it to the postseason, and I think the Pacers will make it look easy. Charlotte might give Miami issues, but I don’t see much more than 1 win and a bunch of close losses.

I wanted to pick the Nets, and if they’d closed out on a higher note, I would have. But I they get past the 1st round and no more. Miami will find a way to make the plays they didn’t down the stretch, especially with a healthy Wade on the floor. The Pacers can’t score, but neither can the Bulls. But Chicago’s defense is just better, and I think they find a way. Out west it should be a lot of fun, but the Spurs are better defensively and I just think it’s the Thunder’s time. LA and Chris Paul need a 2nd round appearance, but I think next year is a better year for the Clips to make it any further.

Chicago’s good luck runs out. I can’t pick against Miami at home. OKC match-ups up better than any of the other 28 teams in the league with San Antonio, and despite not holding home court, I see a rematch of the 2012 Finals.

NBA Finals

(1) Oklahoma City vs (2) Miami – THUNDER WIN in 7

I think it’s time for my 2013-14 MVP, Kevin Durant, to win his first ring, and I think he gets it. The Heat might make a 4th straight finals, but they’re going to be tired. The Westbrook injury was a blessing in disguise for OKC. It means fresh legs, the bench will be ready to pick up the slack and the sidekick Durant was missing last season. And if it should be Spurs in the finals, I say revenge for last season. The West has been miles ahead of the East all year, and I think it means a championship for whatever team gets out.

So that’s it. Nothing left to do but sit back and watch a whole lot of really good basketball for the next month and a half. Oh the horror!

And here’s a not so shameless plug on my personal blog – stick with Sirius XM NBA Radio Channel 217 and on the Sirius XM App before and after games for great analysis and guests throughout the postseason and beyond.

It wasn’t easy, but the Nets finally had an okay week. They went 2-2 for the first time all season, bringing their season record to 5-12. They got their all-star center back, and saw growth from two 2nd year players. The best part though could be that the 2 wins came on the road.

Game 14: @ Toronto

They don’t make it easy on themselves, but they picked up a much-needed win to snap their 5-game skid. Brook Lopez missed his 7th straight, Deron Williams was also out for his 6th out of the last 7. They came out with energy, something that doesn’t always happen, and they kept it. Another thing that doesn’t always happen. They found a way, thanks in part to Joe Johnson, to win the 3rd quarter. They’re now 4-0 when they win the dreaded 3rd.

It was a close game throughout, though Brooklyn held a 13 point lead late, giving the impression they;d pick up an easy win. Wrong. Leading 101-86 with 3:13 left Steve Novak was fouled on a 3-point attempt, sparking a 14-1 Raptors run to end the game. Toronto ran out of time, and Brooklyn snuck out of Air Canada Centre with the 2-point win.

4 starters finished in double figures for the 6th time this season. They got a lot of big minutes from guys like Mason Plumlee and Mirza Teletovic off the bench as they shortened their rotation just a bit.

For the 3rd game out of the last 4, Andray Blatche led the team with 24-points, 6 boards from Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson and Shaun Livingston, who added 7 assists.

W Nets 102 – Raptors 100

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Game 15: vs Los Angeles

The Lakers shot Brooklyn out of their house in the 1st quarter, but then the Nets responded in the 2nd to make a once 25 point lead manageable at the half. A key reason for Los Angeles taking a quick 27-point lead was the shooting of back up point guard Jordan Farmar. The former New Jersey Net went 5-7 from 3 in his first game against his old team since 2010. But the law of averages came into play in the 2nd half, because the Lakers hot shooting came to a halt, and the Nets took advantage, tying up the Lakers late in the 4th. But that’s when it all changed.

For the 2nd straight day, the offense went ice-cold in the final 3 minutes of the game, and t he sloppy play took over. Tied 92-92 with under 2 to play, after a number of missed bunnies down low by Brooklyn, Paul pierce decided to run the offense through himself, made a lazy pass that was taken back by Wesley Johnson for the go-ahead score. To make matters worse, Jason Kidd showed he was willing to do anything to win, and by anything, I mean telling Tyshawn Taylor to “hit me.” Listening to his head coach, Taylor knocked into him, causing Kidd to spill his drink, and essentially get an extra time out, down 2, with a Laker at the line looking to make it a 3 point lead with 8.3 seconds left to play. Add to that the fact that no one on the Brooklyn Bench seemed to notice two LA players in their final huddle, and it all turned into a 5-point loss.

Mirza Teletovic had by far his best game of his NBA career, a much welcome sight for fans and management alike. The 2nd year pro went 4-7 from the 3-point line, added 5-5 from the charity stripe as well as 5 rebounds. His spark off the bench was key in the huge comeback the Nets put together. Mason Plumlee continues to impress, blocking four shots in just under 21 minutes of action.

Joe Johnson led 5 double-figure scorers with 18, Kevin Garnett led the way with 9 boards and Paul Pierce dished out a team high 5 assists.

L Lakers 99 – Nets 94

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Game 16: @ Houston

Brook Lopez made his return, as Kevin Garnett sat in a 114-95 drubbing by the Houston Rockets. Lopez looked like he didn’t miss a beat after missing 8 games, scoring 16 points in 21 minutes of action. Garnett was just given the front half of a back-to-back off, no injury there. But getting their big man back didn’t help. This team’s inability to start the 2nd half well has now found its way to the 1st quarter. The defense out of the locker room is starting to really hurt, and it’s not just out of half anymore. You can’t be down double digits after 12 minutes every game and expect to go on a run.

The Rockets high-scoring ability, coupled with Brooklyn’s poor defense to start the season, this one got ugly early. They are having real trouble defending the three-point line of late, proved true by a 6-6 performance behind the arc from Houston’s Chandler Parsons. The Rockets as a team shot near 60% as a team from 3, something that can’t happen, especially when you yourselves hit just 27% of your three-point attempts. This game really was all about the difference in the two teams ability to shoot the basketball. The Nets did a good job limiting turnovers, and free-throw attempts, as well as rebounding the basketball, but it didn’t matter.

Aside from the return of a healthy Brook Lopez, Mirza Teletovic’s 1st career double-double of 18 point and 13 rebounds to go with 2nd year point guard Tyshawn Taylor’s 1st. Taylor finished with 16 points and a team high 12 assists.

L Nets 95 – Rockets 114

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Game 17: @ Memphis

For the first time this week, the Nets got off to a pretty good start. And guess what, in picking up their 5th victory, they also got their first win when losing the 3rd quarter. I’d call that progress. Brook Lopez made his 2nd straight start back from injury, and after a quiet first half, he helped put the game away in the 4th. The Nets now have more wins on the road than they do at home, though they’ve played more games on the road than home early on. That will change in December.

It was a rare bad night for bench player Alan Anderson, who started in place of the injured Paul Pierce, who sat with a right hand. Anderson has provided good defense and an ability to hit the 3 early on off the bench, but went 0-6 as a starter. The scoring mainly came from 3 guys, with Blatche, Lopez and Johnson combining 67 of Brooklyn’s 97 points. But the offense did well despite that, with nearly everyone registering an assist and a rebound, and they took a lot of free throw attempts. The Grizzlies are a good defensive team, and the Nets found different ways to score. Not to mention that Blatche went 3-3 from behind the arc, a career high. That’s not the game you want him playing, but they went down, so the Nets will take it. The Grizzlies were led by Quincy Pondexter’s career-high 22 off the bench.

Joe Johnson continues to shine in 2013, leading the team in points with 26, as well as 6 assists while Brook Lopez pulled down 9 boards.

W Nets 97 – Grizzlies 89

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So they’re still not where they want to be, but this week was a step in the right direction. Now they have a chance to make up some ground with a majority of their games in this month at home in Brooklyn. December play starts Tuesday against Denver. Then their first of four with the Knicks on Thursday, a match-up that isn’t as anticipated as it would be with both teams sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic. But with these two teams, throw away the records. The week wraps Saturday on the road against Milwaukee.

Never thought I’d say it, but this team is missing their 1-2 records from weeks 1-3 of the season. 0-4 this week, a 3-10 record for a team many thought wouldn’t lose more than 20-25 all season, and a fight for last place in the Atlantic with the Knicks. Or just like we all saw this season going for New York area teams.

Game 10: vs Portland

Kevin Garnett thought he was 27 again, hitting his first 5 shots in the 1st quarter for 10 quick points after Saturday night off. The entire offense shined in the first 12 minutes, scoring a season high 40 points in the frame. But unfortunately for Brooklyn, the defense never showed up, and their hot start came to a halt just as quickly as it came. Without Brook Lopez down low, Portland quickly learned to defend from 12-feet out, because there was no paint attack for the Nets last night.

Brooklyn couldn’t defend the 3, allowing Wesley Matthews to go 4-4 in the 1st quarter. The Trailblazers as a team to shoot 44% from 3, and an obscene 54% overall. Brooklyn did a good job limiting turnovers and getting to the free throw line, but they only finished at 37% from the field and a poor 23% from 3. The Nets were held to just 35 points in the 2nd half.

If all those numbers weren’t troubling enough, this team lacked any kind of leadership in the 2nd half. Timeouts were taken at strange times, there didn’t seem to be any talking on defense and Jason Kidd continues to just sit on the sidelines doing nothing.

Shaun Williams led the way with 23 points in place of the injured Deron Williams, Joe Johnson led with just 3 assists and Reggie Evans pulled down the most boards at 9.

L Trailblazers 108 – Nets 98

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Game 11: @ Charlotte

Big shocker, they played poorly in the 3rd quarter and Deron Williams re-injured his ankle. Down just 3 at the half, Brooklyn was outscored by 10 in the 3rd quarter where they allowed one of their 2 30 point quarters on the night. They lost their point guard again, when Williams landed awkwardly on the foot of Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker after a late 2nd quarter jump shot. Williams took and made a pair of free throws, but was then immediately removed from the game and didn’t return.

The defense had no answer for Walker, who went for 31 including 2 clutch free throws to ice the game in the final seconds. Neither team was great from the charity stripe, with the Nets leaving 7 points to the Cats 13 on the line.

Andray Blatche came off the bench to led the way with 25 points, Kevin Garnett pulled down 8 boards in 22 minutes, and Shaun Livingston assisted on 5 buckets.

L Nets 91 – Bobcats 95

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Game 12: @ Minnesota

For the amount of effort Brooklyn showed on Friday, they should’ve stayed home. No Lopez, Williams, Terry or Kirilenko again, and it showed quickly. By the end of the 1st quarter, the Timberwolves had a double-digit lead at 30-14. Minnesota’s lead grew to 20 by half, and by the final buzzer, the Nets fell by their biggest margin of the year, 30 points.

All five of the Wolves starters finished in double figure scoring, including a double-double for Kevin Love, who had his way down low without Brook Lopez on the floor. Brooklyn managed to get 4 in double figures as well, but had 20 turnovers to their 31 made field-goals. Shaun Livingston had his worst game of the year in place of Deron Williams, tallying no assists and just 1 point. The play of Mirza Teletovic was probably the only positive. The second year forward pulled down 7 boards and score 7 points in 15 minutes of action.

Andray Blatche led the way for the 2nd straight day off the bench, scoring 16 points. Reggie Evans and Kevin Garnett both grabbed 8 boards while Joe Johnson had a team high 4 assists.

L Nets 81 – Timberwolves 111

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Game 13: vs Detroit

Down 4 after 1 quarter, Brooklyn had one of their best offensive quarters in the 2nd, putting up 32 points. Now stop me if this sounds familiar. The Nets held a lead at the half, and then squandered it in the 3rd quarter. A third straight day without Lopez, Williams, Terry and Kirilenko meant using their entire bench again. And without their all-star big man, the defense in the paint continues to suffer, with the Pistons outscoring them 20-0 in the paint in the 3rd quarter alone.

Their lone healthy and not limited starter, Joe Johnson, did his best to save the Nets from their 4th straight loss. The shooting guard was on the floor by far the most, scoring almost at will, scoring a season high on 12-of-18 shooting, while dishing out 4 assists to no turnovers. Greg Monroe and Brandon Jennings both tallied double-doubles for Detroit, who out-rebounded Brooklyn, as well as forced nearly twice the amount of turnovers than they committed.

Joe Johnson’s 34 was the most by a Net all season, Kevin Garnett continues to lead in rebounding with another 9 boards and Shaun Livingston dished out 7 assists.

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There continues to be little rhyme or reason to the distribution of minutes, and I never know when certain guys are going to come off the bench. Some of this has to do with the recent rash of injuries to their starters, but a lot goes back to age and a lack of playing time together. What I take away from this teams first 12 games is they need to play better pick-and-roll defense, as well as help defense, and they need Lopez back. He is the key to this team’s success. Sure there’s depth body wise in the front court, but not enough scoring wise. They need their lone all-star from a year ago to be healthy, and they need KG to be more consistent on the offensive end. If they can at least get one of those two things to go with an effective Blatche and Plumlee coming off the bench, they can survive (for now) without Williams.

Now the Nets look to be thankful for some much-needed wins this holiday week. 4 games and it all starts up north Tuesday in Toronto, then a Wednesday date back home with the Lakers. The weekend caps off with a match-up with Dwight Howard in Houston on Friday and wraps up in Memphis on Saturday night.

Another week, another 1-2 record. This team isn’t playing with consistent energy, and that’s the biggest problem. That is until the end of the week when the injury bug struck.

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Game 7: @ Sacramento

This team had 3 days to get ready for this road trip, but they showed up looking tired. In truth it was a lack of energy, something you can’t do any time, let alone early in the season.

Down 12 at the half, a poor start to the 3rd quarter meant that an early run in the 4th was little more than window dressing. Because that run turned into a Kings run which led to the Nets 2nd blow out loss of the year. Sacramento led by as many as 23 before this one was over.

5 Nets finished if double-figures, but it’s hard to win when you shoot below 38%. There was way more ball movement for the Kings, who nearly doubled up the Nets assist total. Of course the poor shooting didn’t help that number. Brooklyn did a good job on the boards, but they had 15 turnovers to the Kings 6. It was just a bad night all around to get the road trip started.

Brook Lopez led the way with 16 points, 9 boards tied with Paul Pierce and Deron Williams had 7 assists.

L Nets 86 – Kings 107

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Game 8: @ Phoenix

From the opening tip, there was much better energy for the Nets. That was until Deron Williams crumpled to the ground just minutes in. The oft-injured point guard came down hard on his left ankle, and stayed down for some time. He hopped off to the locker room with some help, and the Suns took advantage.You could see why Phoenix led the league in fast-break points. Their guards have quick hands, force turnovers and they get back in transition quick.

But unlike the last few games, the Nets responded in the 2nd quarter to close a double-digit deficit to just 4 at the half. Then, something unprecedented happened. A 16-0 Brooklyn run to start the 3rd quarter. Sure, following a timeout the Suns outscored them 17-10 the rest of the way, but that’s the type of energy and smart offense this team needs out of the break. And it started and ended with Brook Lopez, who scored 10 of those 16 points. Lopez had a bad 1st half, but rebounded in the 2nd half, and when the Nets big man is going well, this team usually excels.

It was a poor offensive 4th quarter capped off by a late Joe Johnson jumper that sent the game going to overtime. Big shots are nothing new for the 2nd year Net, but the biggest came in overtime. Tied 98-98, Johnson rebounded a Channing Frye miss, and took it in for a buzzer beating lay-up.

Williams never returned to the game, but luckily the MRI on his left ankle was negative. He’s day-to-day.

Brook Lopez was the leading scorer once again, putting up 27 points, while Kevin Garnett was a force on the glass, pulling down 14 rebounds. Shaun Livingston came off the bench for Williams to dish out 6 assists to go with 18 points.

W Nets 100 – Suns 98 (OT)

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Game 9: @ Los Angeles

If there’s such a thing as a moral victory, this Saturday night 110-103 loss to the Clippers was that for the Nets. Brooklyn was without 80% of their starting lineup for their final stop on a 3-game west coast swing. Brook Lopez and Deron Williams sat with ankle injuries. Paul Pierce was out with a groin issue and Kevin Garnett was given the back-end of the back-to-back off. So Joe Johnson, after 45 minutes in an OT win Friday, was the only healthy starter with the bench against a healthy LA team. It started out well, but in the end, the Clippers playmakers did just that, they made plays.

Up 1 at the half, the Nets came out firing in the 3rd quarter for the 2nd straight night. A 10-0 run out of the locker room led to a Clipper timeout. And did that timeout work. LA answered the Nets run with a 16-0 streak of their own, and Brooklyn could never really recover.

But they kept it close until the end, and with just 1 starter, and with different guys playing big minutes, it was an impressive showing. Shots that were falling early didn’t fall late, and they left points at the free throw line. Many of those were left by lone rookie Mason Plumlee, who despite the misses, was a huge reason Brooklyn remained in it as long as they did. The back-up big man wasn’t afraid to attack Blake Griffin down low. It took a 30 point night from Griffin, and a 26 point effort from JJ Redick to beat the Nets bench, something that needs to be remembered.

It was another loss, and you can’t be happy with a 3-6 start, but the energy, defense and ball movement from this one needs to transfer to practice and the starters need to feed off it when they return. Again, a loss is a loss, but it might be a turning point loss.

Andray Blatche and Mason Plumlee tied for team high honors with 19 points, a career high for the rookie. Reggie Evans led the way with 11 boards in his first start of the season and Joe Johnson dished out a team high 6 assists.

L Nets 103 – Clippers 110

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Week 4 of the season starts with Portland at home on Monday before two more on the road. Charlotte on Wednesday and Minnesota on Friday. The week wraps up back home on Sunday against Detroit.

Injuries or not, this team is being paid too much money, and has too much depth to be 3-6. It is early, but that’s not a good excuse for a team with Championship aspirations.